Care and support staff in both the Community & Voluntary Sector and Housing Associations should not accept incidents of violent or aggressive behaviour as a normal part of their role. All support staff have a right to expect a safe and secure workplace. Violent and aggressive incidents are the third biggest cause of injuries reported […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that in the past year our union has once again been leading the way on the issue of payment of the statutory minimum wage for sleep-in shifts. Many Community members carry out sleep-in shifts and have often been paid less than the legal minimum for their work. By any reasonable definition of the […]
Community Conference welcomes the new UNISON wide pay campaign called “Pay Up Now“ which seeks to put pressure on the government to end public spending austerity which has proved so disastrous for public services in recent years. Community Conference supports the campaign objectives which are to: a. Put an end to the pay cap b. […]
Around 80% of organisations in Community & Voluntary Sector and Housing Associations reported that the most prevalent form of short term absence from the workplace were the common minor illnesses like colds, stomach bugs, migraines and influenza. 40% of organisations reported an increased level of stress related illness; this is thought to be a response […]
In the Community & Voluntary Sector which includes care provision, charities, not for profit organisations and housing associations, it is becoming evident that the biggest issue in the workplace is poor mental health. Statistics now show that it causes many millions of working days to be lost every year. The mental health problems experienced by […]
This conference believes that the level of career progression of Black workers is very low in most work places and is imperative that this is addressed. The Equality Act 2010 states that we should have equal opportunities for all. Conference believes that all Black workers should be supported, enabled and valued to progress into senior […]
Conference recognises that Black Caribbean pupils are significantly more likely to be permanently excluded from schools three times more likely than white pupils. Black pupils are routinely punished more harshly, praised less, told off more often and more likely than white pupils to be identified as having behaviour related to educational needs. Black pupils are […]
Conference notes the continuing national housing crisis and the exponential rise in homelessness. Conference welcomes the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 which extends the previous 28 day period for ‘threatened homelessness’ to 56 days and makes clear that a valid Section 21 notice (Housing Act 1988) also constitutes being ‘threatened with homelessness’. For […]
Conference is deeply concerned that there has been significant rise in hate crime cases in the UK. Hate crime of any kind, directed against any community, race or religion has absolutely no place in our society. Our diverse communities thrive precisely because of the rich co-existence of people of different backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities and […]
Conference believes the current immigration process leads to unfavourable treatment of Black workers who do not have full legal rights to reside in the UK. They face a large number of issues including: 1) Application Fees : The basic ILR (Indefinite leave to remain in UK – permanent stay) fee of £1875 per applicant is […]
In recent news it has reported that the number of unemployment has hit a record low. What these statistics do not report is that a large proportion of this is because of the increase in zero hours contracts. Employers have increasingly been turning to zero hours contracts as part of the general attack on staff […]
The National Health Service (NHS) Blood donation and Transplant reported that Black people make up just 2.7 percent of active blood donors, despite representing 10.4 percent of England’s population. Blood donation is required from all communities and ethnic backgrounds to meet the needs of all patients in England and North Wales now and in the […]
This National Black Members Conference notes that whilst Jeremy Corbyn and Labour did not win the General Election on 8 June 2017 they far exceeded expectation and substantially damaged Theresa May and the Tories ambitions of a Tory overall majority. Labour won 40 percent of the vote nationally. This was due to an inspiring manifesto, […]
Conference welcomes the work that has been done by UNISON thus far on hate crime. According to a report by the Equality and Human Rights commission called ‘Disabled people’s experiences of targeted violence and hostility’, Black disabled people are even more likely to be vulnerable to hate crimes. The report notes that ‘recognition of multiple […]
West Midlands Black Members Self Organised Group (WMBMSOG) would like the National Black Members Committee to raise awareness of United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC). UFFC is a coalition of families who have experienced the deaths of loved ones by the State. Whether by the police, prison or psychiatric settings. (Clinics, Hospitals). The Lammy Review, […]